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Hi Doc. We have corresponded before on this board and Thumper Talk. I had ACL allograft on July 2, 2008. Since that time I have been following your suggestions regarding rehab and put an hour a day in on the bike or split it up with the eliptical to keep my arse from going numb. Speaking of numb, It has been 4 months now and the outside of my right shin is numb from the knee to about 2/3 of the way down. Do you have an idea what would cause this and if it is going to go away. Quick second question, my knee still swells a little but only under the lower right side of the knee cap and it is like a little pocket that pushes out, any ideas on this. Thanks for all your hard work on this and other message boards helping us old guys have hope and staying motivated.

Did you have arthroscopic or the zipper?

Arthroscopic surgery with a patella tendon bone to bone allograft. I had some infection at the incision site on my tibia but that is the opposite side of where I have the numbness. I also still do not have full range of motion in either direction, however, I am only lacking a few degrees.

I have the same numbness with my total knee replacements and was told that it is the result of the severing of the saphenous nerve that runs down the inside of the thigh and spreads fingers out across the top and lateral aspect of the knee/lower leg. These fingers provide superficial innervation to this area. When severed, sensation is interrupted to the distal nerve endings leaving the numb feeling on the mid to lateral (outside) area of the leg and leaving normal sensation intact from the midline (incision) to the medial area (inside) .
That's what I was told. Though scoping is less invasive there is, I suppose, the potential for severing or traumatizing these nerve endings during the process.
I am not a Doctor nor do I play one on TV
O.D.

I had the same surgery on my left knee in 2006. I still have numbness on the outside of my knee in the same area. it is probably a 3" radius circle with numbness extending down my leg a little bit. My doctor told me that that would be expected because of the cutting of the nerves while harvesting the patella tendon. The worst part about it for me is sometimes getting an itch in that area, but because it is numb, I don't get relief when scratching it. Your area of numbness will probably shrink with time. Good luck with your recovery. Be patient and the knee will respond and bounce back.

I had this ACL replacement in 1996 they used part of my hamstring to fix the ACL what I was told is that they have to either cut or go right by the nerve that goes to your shin and in some people it grows back and in others it does not. I still have some numbness there and its been over 10 years hopes this helps.

all incisions that go to the inside of the midline of the knee cause this numbness by cutting the infrapatella branch of the saphanous nerve.

Twenty years ago, I started to make my incisions to the outside of the midline. No one ever complained of that numbness again.

I don't know why most docs make that stupid incision.